Rémy Martin Honors Mentors, Promotes Diversity With New Initiative Circle of Centaurs
(L-R) Steven Duarte, Jessamyn Rodriguez and jeffstaple attend Remy Martin’s Unveiling of the Circle of Centaurs with host jeffstaple on November 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Remy Martin)
It’s not often that professionals who give back to the next generation get the red carpet treatment. So, on Wednesday night when The Rémy Martin Circle of Centaurs launched its nationwide mentorship initiative across five cities: Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Houston we just had to be there!
The celebration honored 15 individuals who are sources of inspiration for multicultural millennials through their contributions to their communities and beyond.
In New York, Steven Duarte, Jessamyn Rodriguez and jeffstaple were chosen as the esteemed mentors who will be providing guidance to the next generation of multicultural leaders. Duarte is an acclaimed celebrity photographer, Rodriguez is the founder and CEO of the award-winning bakery and incubator Hot Bread Kitchen, and jeffstaple is the founder of Reed Space and Staple Design.
The evening, which focused on mentorship and heritage, also paid homage to Chiron the mythological Centaur that has embodied the Rémy Martin spirit since 1870.
Each honoree shared stories about the crucial part mentorship played in their lives. All of them remembered the time and the person who gave them their first opportunity and ignited the passion inside them. Now as they step into the role of mentor (typically one would imagine the mentee to get the most out of such a dyanmic) these honorees said that this opportunity would be more rewarding for them as a mentor. A key reason is simply having the opportunity to guide someone in their field. To them it means contributing to another legacy in the same way that their mentors had undoubtedly contributed to theirs. And as many successful mentor-mentee relationships are set up, they’re hoping for a reciprocal relationship of both teaching and learning from the mentee.
The Circle of Centaurs members nationwide all embodied the characteristics of Chiron, the centaur known for his youth-nurturing nature, intelligence and kindness. To foster a spirit of generosity and in order to continue paying it forward, each mentor/mentee pair received $2500 and $1500, respectively, to donate to the organizations of their choice.
Steven Duarte, Jessamyn Rodriguez, jeffstaple and Emma Medina attend Remy Martin’s Unveiling of the Circle of Centaurs with host jeffstaple on November 5, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Remy Martin)
